Ranchi: A Jharkhand government official, abducted by suspected Maoist rebels on Tuesday evening, returned home safely on Thursday in the state`s Hazaribagh district, police said.
According to police, Nirma Toppo, the circle officer of the Keredari block of Hazaribagh district, was freed near a river in Barkakhana block of Hazaribagh, around 110 km from Ranchi. Police have yet to ascertain who abducted Toppo and for what.
Toppo told reporters that his captors had blind-folded him before releasing him. When he managed to remove it, he found he was near a river at Barkakhana. "I reached the main road after a four-hour walk and then took a lift to reach my home," he added.
Toppo was not certain whether it was Maoist rebels or others who abducted him. Police officials are trying to find out the reason for his abduction, and have denied that any ransom was paid.
"We cannot say what the reason was. We will reach a conclusion only after getting details from Toppo. We will ascertain it whether it was Maoist rebels or some others who abducted him," a police officer in Hazaribagh told a news service.
IANS
